Seattle Design Festival

Today we are frequently faced with finding creative solutions for extremely complex social problems. We must often do this in a very short time, with woefully little information and resources, while often working with people who we have never met before.

How is this even possible?

Come to this session and practice “Design Swarming,” a technique that brings together design thinking and agile problem-solving to help teams find creative answers to real 21st Century challenges. You will learn how to collaborate intensively with strangers to harness the collective genius of a team, and to use incomplete information and a frenetic sense of urgency as a creative springboard.

This technique has successfully been used around the world to solve difficult social problem and business problems. At SDF2015, the design challenge that you will be assigned with be related to a pressing and urgent problem of equity; the problem itself will be revealed at the start of the session. During the Design Swarm, you will be led through a rapid series of fun and moderated activities that will eventually result in a solution prototype.  Each of the three scheduled Design Swarms at SDF2015 will address a different, unique design challenge.

The moderator is Surya Vanka, the creator of the Design Swarm technique, who will be assisted by other seasoned designers. No previous design training or specific knowledge is required, but an open and curious mind is mandatory.